EXAMINING THE PARENT-CHILD POLITICAL RELATIONSHIP By GRANT M. ARMSTRONG ...

64 Pages·2015·0.5 MB·English

by  Public Computer

EXAMINING THE PARENT-CHILD POLITICAL
RELATIONSHIP

By
GRANT M. ARMSTRONG
Bachelor of Science in Political Science
University of Montevallo
Montevallo, Alabama
2012

Submitted to the Faculty of the
Graduate College of the
Oklahoma State University
in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for
the Degree of
MASTER OF ARTS
May, 2015
EXAMINING THE PARENT-CHILD POLITICAL
RELATIONSHIP

Thesis Approved:

Dr. Eric French
Thesis Adviser
Dr. Amber Dickinson

Dr. Marten Brienen
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank all my committee members for their help and feedback. I especially
would like to thank my committee chair, Dr. Eric French, for his patience and our many
five-hour meetings.
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Acknowledgements reflect the views of the author and are not endorsed by committee
members or Oklahoma State University.
Name: Grant Michael Armstrong

Date of Degree: May, 2015

Title of Study: Examining the Parent-Child Political Relationship

Major Field: Political Science

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to provide a detailed explanation of the ability of
parents to transmit political attitudes to their children. While there is an abundance of
previous research on political socialization and the role of parents in this process, this
study's incorporation of novel variables allows a different and contemporary exploration
of the political development of youth. Using a survey of 955 college students, I am able
to provide evidence that the political influence of parents is strong, level of parental
involvement is highly important, and mothers are slightly more influential than fathers,
but not as much as previously accepted.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter Page

I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 9

II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE .............................................................................. 13

III. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................ 21

Theory ............................................................................................................... 21
Data and Methods .............................................................................................. 27
Variables ........................................................................................................... 31
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Chapter Page

IV. FINDINGS ........................................................................................................ 34

Results ............................................................................................................... 34
Analysis ............................................................................................................. 40

V. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................. 45

REFERENCES ........................................................................................................ 47

APPENDICES ......................................................................................................... 50
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LIST OF TABLES

Table Page

1: Correlation between political preferences of respondent and parents ................. 52
2: Regression analysis for mother-child political relationship ................................ 53
3: Regression analysis for father-child political relationship .................................. 54
4: Effect of mother’s encouragement to vote ......................................................... 55
5: Effect of father’s encouragement to vote ........................................................... 56

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Page

1: Party affiliation of respondent, mother, and father. ............................................ 50
1: Ideology of respondent, mother, and father. ...................................................... 51

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

While there are many agents of political socialization --- family, peers, school,
and religious organizations --- likely one of these agents, the family, has received the
most attention from researchers. There is good reason for this focus. While there are
many agents which have the ability to exert political influence, normally the family is the
first social group to which a child is introduced. Therefore, this paper’s emphasis will be
on the role of parents. This study seeks to examine the role of the parents in the political
socialization process and to provide a contemporary analysis of the transmission of
political attitudes from parents to children.
While the topic of political socialization, particularly the role of parents in this
process, has been addressed since the 1950s, the recent evolution of social norms has
warranted a reexamination. For example, the number of women in the workforce has
risen dramatically over the past several decades, while the concept of stay-at-home dads,
while still rather modern, is no longer a foreign notion. Further, the husband and wife
relationship in the modern home is more likely to resemble an equal partnership than one
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in which the husband is the senior partner, which was the case historically. Stereotypical
parental roles may no longer apply. Consequently, the findings in this study will remain
valid only as long as family roles remain constant; as modern trends arise, new studies
must be undertaken. If results from this study stand in stark contrast to other studies, it
will illustrate a need to continually revisit the issue of the political power of parents.
While there is still debate as to when political preferences and attitudes
sufficiently stabilize for reliable scientific study, most political socialization research
indicates that the family, particularly parents, always will exert some level of political
influence on their children. Some theories state that political attitudes are shaped during
childhood or adolescence, while other theories hold that individual political preferences
evolve over time. This distinction seems more a matter of degree than kind, for the
influence of the parent can be seen in college-aged children no matter the particular
theory (Tyler, Schuller 1991; Peterson, Somit 1982; Andolina, Jenkins, Zukin, Keeter
2003).
This study does not intend to address the validity of different theories of political
socialization, rather this study should be compatible with most if not all theories of
political socialization. By examining college students in this study, many of whom are
freshmen, parental political influence should be the strongest of any other demographic.
It is theorized that parental influence has a very considerable impact on college-aged
children, particularly freshmen and sophomores. While this is strictly speculative,
students fitting this category might have a greater opportunity to know the political
leanings of their parents and better understand their parents’ political cues than younger
children. Further, juniors and seniors might be more distant from their parents because
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